Question Non-gaming accounting/office build

[paperfist]

This PC will be used to remotely connect to and will run Quickbooks Desktop, MS Office including Outlook emails, store files/scanned documents and similar things. QB makes everything slow so some of the specs might be overkill. Looking to spend $500 or less and would like the build to be close to silent. It will run Windows 11 Pro (have already)

ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ax $157
Picked it mainly because it has Intel networking and supports m.2 gen4

Crucial Pro 64GB DDR4 $94
Prolly don't need 64GB, but it's almost the cheapest part of the build so why not?

AMD Ryzen 7 5700G $162
Again prolly overkill, but in productivity benchmarks it seemed to do very well. I wanted something low watt too because most of the time it'll run 24/7.

Teamgroup MP44Q 2TB PCIe Gen 4 x4 m.2 $104
It's a storage unit!

Silverstone MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX case $63
I hope it comes back into stock cause it's where I spend the most time researching! Just looking for something compact cause it'll sit on a shelf and I need the 5 1/4 external drive bay to archive files on a yet to be determined Blu-Ray burner.

Seasonic Focus GX-650W 80+ Gold PSU $99
Definitely overkill, but can't really find anything smaller wattage wise and still be modular.

Haven't figured out what to use for a 3.5" HD for backup or Blu-Ray writer.

Anyway I'm way over my $500 budget at $696. Any suggestions on what to change?

 

[manly]

64GB seems like way overkill. Downgrade to 32GB?
(Actually there was a reasonable Ryzen 5 7600X combo deal for Black Friday. Sorry, don't have a time machine.)*

You can buy a cheap used HDD off of eBay.

It's a longshot but if you're in L.A., I'd offer a brand new EVGA SuperNova G2 550W PSU for $40. Pretty sure it's fully modular and highly rated.
No idea what their warranty transfer policy is, but it should have a bit of original warranty remaining.
Purchased in Nov 2018 and it's still shrink-wrapped.

* For reference only:

AMD Ryzen 5700X 8-Core/16-Thread Processor.......$130 @Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-5700X-16-Thread-Unlocked-Processor/dp/B09VCHQHZ6?crid=34NDCTZP8AMXN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.p2iKE6IAMdrsJ5d227wMD0GI5dOGKE63q75DxcCdh7STMypqUpWwftxUH85UxrcJgTnjhS9GpNq_jP8ZWVpOIzutJXOd1c4pyUiV9bMeGGLJlidLdPZQ4byCmH_iu6P00h-8Ppknsp679ueV-OR4vUklAIoRt8ZhMw8d-aNp13S8Tj7G0kdl9KeZH...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[In2Photos]

ITX motherboards are typically more expensive than their mATX counterparts. Since you picked a mATX case you can save money on the motherboard. Unless the Intel NIC is a must. 32GB should be sufficient for an Office PC unless you are doing HEAVY Excel or Database work. Is a modular PSU a must? Should have plenty of room in the case for any extra wires. I used the same case, so the build below would be $30 less if Newegg gets it back in stock.



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B550M-VC WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($42.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($92.97 @ Newegg Sellers)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case ($99.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $554.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-12-09 08:21 EST-0500

 

[DAPUNISHER]

For what you are doing maybe consider a mini PC? $400 after coupon giving you the money for the 2TB nvme. With a low power profile it should run pretty quiet with most of those loads. Newer tech with supported drivers too - https://www.amazon.com/Computer-PCIe4-0-Outputs-Graphics-Desktop/dp/B0DCZH29WV?th=1

 

[paperfist]

64GB seems like way overkill. Downgrade to 32GB?
(Actually there was a reasonable Ryzen 5 7600X combo deal for Black Friday. Sorry, don't have a time machine.)*

You can buy a cheap used HDD off of eBay.

It's a longshot but if you're in L.A., I'd offer a brand new EVGA SuperNova G2 550W PSU for $40. Pretty sure it's fully modular and highly rated.
No idea what their warranty transfer policy is, but it should have a bit of original warranty remaining.
Purchased in Nov 2018 and it's still shrink-wrapped.

* For reference only:

AMD Ryzen 5700X 8-Core/16-Thread Processor.......$130 @Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-5700X-16-Thread-Unlocked-Processor/dp/B09VCHQHZ6?crid=34NDCTZP8AMXN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.p2iKE6IAMdrsJ5d227wMD0GI5dOGKE63q75DxcCdh7STMypqUpWwftxUH85UxrcJgTnjhS9GpNq_jP8ZWVpOIzutJXOd1c4pyUiV9bMeGGLJlidLdPZQ4byCmH_iu6P00h-8Ppknsp679ueV-OR4vUklAIoRt8ZhMw8d-aNp13S8Tj7G0kdl9KeZH...

forums.anandtech.com

Thanks for the info! I'm in NY unfortunately.

 

[paperfist]

For what you are doing maybe consider a mini PC? $400 after coupon giving you the money for the 2TB nvme. With a low power profile it should run pretty quiet with most of those loads. Newer tech with supported drivers too - https://www.amazon.com/Computer-PCIe4-0-Outputs-Graphics-Desktop/dp/B0DCZH29WV?th=1

Thanks! That's an idea I hadn't thought of and didn't really know about that mini PC. I'll take a look at it. It'll really save some space

 

[paperfist]

ITX motherboards are typically more expensive than their mATX counterparts. Since you picked a mATX case you can save money on the motherboard. Unless the Intel NIC is a must. 32GB should be sufficient for an Office PC unless you are doing HEAVY Excel or Database work. Is a modular PSU a must? Should have plenty of room in the case for any extra wires. I used the same case, so the build below would be $30 less if Newegg gets it back in stock.



PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700G 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B550M-VC WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($42.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($92.97 @ Newegg Sellers)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case ($99.43 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $554.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-12-09 08:21 EST-0500

I really like the Intel NIC over the Realtek, but I have no data to prove it's better. That's the only MB I could find with a Intel NIC on a AM4 platform. Not a heavy workload, but sometimes exporting data out of Quickbooks as an Excel file takes a while and crashes sometimes. Most likely just an issue with QB.

Modular isn't a must, just looked toward that for cable management in a small case. You're saying wiring isn't a big deal so maybe I'll scrap that idea.

Maybe I should just upgrade the old PC...? It's a ASRock Z390M-ITX/ac - Intel i5-9600k @3.70GHz, 16 GB RAM.

I know it's going backwards and I'd have to see the performance difference between the newer AMD, but I could get a used i9-9900k for $140. It's got a higher TDP that I didn't want though. I could then upgrade the RAM for another $100 and m.2 drive for around the same though it's would be a GEN3. Much thinking I need to do.

 

[BoomerD]

I really like the Intel NIC over the Realtek, but I have no data to prove it's better. That's the only MB I could find with a Intel NIC on a AM4 platform. Not a heavy workload, but sometimes exporting data out of Quickbooks as an Excel file takes a while and crashes sometimes. Most likely just an issue with QB.

Modular isn't a must, just looked toward that for cable management in a small case. You're saying wiring isn't a big deal so maybe I'll scrap that idea.

Maybe I should just upgrade the old PC...? It's a ASRock Z390M-ITX/ac - Intel i5-9600k @3.70GHz, 16 GB RAM.

I know it's going backwards and I'd have to see the performance difference between the newer AMD, but I could get a used i9-9900k for $140. It's got a higher TDP that I didn't want though. I could then upgrade the RAM for another $100 and m.2 drive for around the same though it's would be a GEN3. Much thinking I need to do.

The Intel I225 NICs are known to be problematic. I have it in my MSI Z690 Tomahawk board. It will occasionally just lose connection…requiring a reboot. It’s a well known issue.

 

[manly]

Maybe I should just upgrade the old PC...? It's a ASRock Z390M-ITX/ac - Intel i5-9600k @3.70GHz, 16 GB RAM.

I know it's going backwards and I'd have to see the performance difference between the newer AMD, but I could get a used i9-9900k for $140. It's got a higher TDP that I didn't want though. I could then upgrade the RAM for another $100 and m.2 drive for around the same though it's would be a GEN3. Much thinking I need to do.

Hmm, what exactly is the bottleneck here? Generally speaking, a 5 year old PC with decent specs isn't obsolete for office use. I'd try to identify the specific bottleneck before throwing money at the problem.

It's hard to say for sure, but I'm not seeing the value of spending several hundred bucks to beef up the old PC. Cheap RAM and storage could make sense, if necessary.

The Intel I225 NICs are known to be problematic. I have it in my MSI Z690 Tomahawk board. It will occasionally just lose connection…requiring a reboot. It’s a well known issue.

WTF, it's the year 2024 and this is a known issue with Intel NICs???

 

[BoomerD]

Hmm, what exactly is the bottleneck here? Generally speaking, a 5 year old PC with decent specs isn't obsolete for office use. I'd try to identify the specific bottleneck before throwing money at the problem.

It's hard to say for sure, but I'm not seeing the value of spending several hundred bucks to beef up the old PC. Cheap RAM and storage could make sense, if necessary.



WTF, it's the year 2024 and this is a known issue with Intel NICs???

Yep…the i225v and i226 are both buggy as hell.

Network Issues with Intel® Ethernet Controller I225-V

Recommendation to update Non-Volatile Memory (NVM)

www.intel.com

 

[manly]

Yep…the i225v and i226 are both buggy as hell.

Network Issues with Intel® Ethernet Controller I225-V

Recommendation to update Non-Volatile Memory (NVM)

www.intel.com

I realize they just canned Gelsinger but if they can't even do NICs, how could they possibly ever compete in CPUs again or GPUs?

FFS Intel was the gold standard for NICs forever.

Non-essential swear word removed. Please don't swear in the technical forums. -- Moderator Ken g6

 

[JackMDS]

I have a Big expensive self Build Tower for Gaming.

But for "Non-gaming accounting/office build" I bought one of this.

Amazon.com

Yeah $219 and problem solved.

 

[paperfist]

The Intel I225 NICs are known to be problematic. I have it in my MSI Z690 Tomahawk board. It will occasionally just lose connection…requiring a reboot. It’s a well known issue.

Thanks for the heads up! I believe the ones I’m looking at use the Killer NIC which Intel bought I believe. Not sure what chip it’s based on but will look.

 

[paperfist]

I have a Big expensive self Build Tower for Gaming.

But for "Non-gaming accounting/office build" I bought one of this.

Amazon.com

Yeah $219 and problem solved.

That sure is nice and easy, thanks! I seem to want to drag my knuckles and build one from scratch for some reason.

 

[paperfist]

Hmm, what exactly is the bottleneck here? Generally speaking, a 5 year old PC with decent specs isn't obsolete for office use. I'd try to identify the specific bottleneck before throwing money at the problem.

It's hard to say for sure, but I'm not seeing the value of spending several hundred bucks to beef up the old PC. Cheap RAM and storage could make sense, if necessary.



WTF, it's the year 2024 and this is a known issue with Intel NICs???

I’m not sure, I didn’t think it was a troubleshooting issue. It doesn’t get used for web surfing or high risk stuff like that. Creating tabs and moving them around in Excel is becoming tiresome as it’s taking up to a minute to do. QB by nature is slow but now even more so waiting for windows to close and open. There’s plenty of free disk space. Haven’t checked the available memory.

 

[In2Photos]

I’m not sure, I didn’t think it was a troubleshooting issue. It doesn’t get used for web surfing or high risk stuff like that. Creating tabs and moving them around in Excel is becoming tiresome as it’s taking up to a minute to do. QB by nature is slow but now even more so waiting for windows to close and open. There’s plenty of free disk space. Haven’t checked the available memory.

It may be the 16GB of RAM holding you back. I was having some noticeable lag on my work laptop (Intel 9750H, 16GB RAM, Gen 3 NVME) during some Office tasks when having a browser open with a couple of tabs, Windows Explorer or 2 and maybe a few Excel files and Outlook. Despite the system never showing that I was using near 16GB an upgrade to 32GB made quite a bit of difference. I no longer have the lagging I was seeing before. Would be a cheap upgrade.

 

[paperfist]

It may be the 16GB of RAM holding you back. I was having some noticeable lag on my work laptop (Intel 9750H, 16GB RAM, Gen 3 NVME) during some Office tasks when having a browser open with a couple of tabs, Windows Explorer or 2 and maybe a few Excel files and Outlook. Despite the system never showing that I was using near 16GB an upgrade to 32GB made quite a bit of difference. I no longer have the lagging I was seeing before. Would be a cheap upgrade.

You guys maybe right, took a look at Taskmanger and QB was spiking my memory and my GPU (which seems weird) by over 50% usage.